Halloween is coming, so that means all the scary movies are coming out. Most of them can be a bit generic, by the numbers slashers. The Final Girls however offer a fresh twist on the tale.

Max (Taissa Farmiga) is a teenager whose mum Amanda (Malin Akerman) died four years ago. She’s persuaded to go to a screening of a slasher movie her mum appeared in during the 80s-Camp Bloodbath. When a fire gets started at the screening Max and her friends get accidently transported into the movie, where she’s reunited with her mum who believes she’s her character, camp counsellor Nancy. Can Max and her friends survive the movie and save Max’s mum from her on screen death?

If you enjoy horror movie that tackles the genre clichés head on a la Scream or Cabin In The Woods then you should enjoy The Final Girls. Having modern day teenagers transported into a 80s slasher film allows the writers to comment on the tropes expected in such movies. So the characters know they must avoid having sex or taking drugs and they also know which characters are likely to get killed and who is Final Girl material. The film is obviously made by people who love the genre so while they are making fun of the clichés they do so with a warm smile.

Surprising the movie also has an emotional undertone that you don’t normally get with the slasher or horror/comedy genre. Max gets the chance to reconnect with her dead mum, who has no idea who she is. Farmiga and Akerman both sell the relationship well and it gets pretty heartfelt towards the end. As well as the leads the whole cast seem to be having fun and former The Vampire Diaries star Nina Dobrev seems to enjoy playing the mean girl with a heart Vicki.

The film is not particularly scary so for anyone hoping for an equal amount of horror and comedy will be disappointed. However for those looking for a knowing and funny take on old slasher movies then this one is worth watching.